I Don't Care
by Allodoxaphobia
Summary: After a night of drinking, Sakura ends up in Kakashi's bed. Running away before he can explain, she avoids him like the plague. When they finally talk about it, Sakura misunderstands him and snaps, pissing off the copy-nin.
1. Misunderstandings

I'll totally make it past the first chapter. Bully me until I do. 3 The title comes from a Fall Out Boy song. The music video is funny. Watch it. The title and song reference may not make sense right now, but it will in a chapter or two. Or read the lyrics. It could give you a hint or two about things that might happen. Even Kakashi can get mad sometimes. :D

As for the grammatical side of it, I read over it quite a few times, did that whole spell check thing, and I hope I caught all my mistakes. I know I didn't though. Hahaha. But I tried! D:

Disclaimer: Uh, no. Really? No. Seriously? No. No, really.

* * *

**Chapter One: Misunderstandings**

_Listen up sweetie.  
We all know that you're a beautiful girl in this horrible world.  
In this suggestion of horror.  
The portraits on the walls...  
Look at their eyes, they always seem to follow_

* * *

Kakashi stared at the sight before him. Tried as he might, he couldn't really remember how he had gotten into this situation. He remembered Naruto inviting him out for drinks, and never one to pass up free alcohol, he had agreed. Sakura and Sai were there along with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. There was also a mix of chuunins and jounins; some that he recognized and others that he didn't really care to recognize.

Nothing went wrong there. He drank enough to get a little drunk, but not enough to get wasted. He couldn't say the same for all the others. Shikamaru was probably the only one out of them who stayed remotely sober. As impossible as it seemed, Naruto managed to become even louder in his drunken state, while Sakura and Ino had taken to flirting with Sai just to get a reaction out of him. Said man only seemed to become really confused, probably trying to recall in his drunken state what the books said to do in this situation. As for Chouji… well he ate and talked to Shikamaru.

He recalled leaving them all only a couple of hours later, despite the protests from Naruto and Sakura. Probably curious to see what he was like when he was really drunk. When he got home, he drank water to rehydrate himself, and watched TV. It was as he was starting to doze off that he heard a loud knock at his door. He chose to ignore it at first, until whoever it was took to holding down the door bell. With an annoyed sigh he got up to answer the door…

Only to find a drunken Sakura standing there, no look of shame upon her face. He knew she lived on the same street as him, but she didn't really do random visits in the middle of the night. He tried his best to smile and asked what she wanted, and for a moment she looked like she herself was trying to remember what she wanted. Finally she said that she lost the key to her house. He almost asked why she just didn't break in, she was a ninja after all, but then he remembered her drunken state. She probably couldn't tie her shoe right now.

Just as he was going to suggest he break in there for her, her face hit his apartment floor. Thinking back, he was a little ashamed he didn't catch her. He'd been a ninja far longer than she, and his reflexes were top notch. He decided to chalk it up to the alcohol and just hoped she wouldn't remember that.

After the loud bang she had made, he decided it would be best to draw no more attention to his apartment and just closed the door and laid her down on the couch. He figured there would be nothing wrong with letting her sleep there for the night. It's not like she had never been there before… then again it's not like they ever had a sleepover or anything. He shrugged it off, figuring no one really gave that much attention to his apartment, led alone who was coming and going.

As he was coming back into the living room from getting her some blankets, he was slightly surprised to see her standing up. He started to ask if she wanted any water, before she starting walking towards him. He asked if she was okay, but she just walked past him like she didn't notice him. For a second he thought she was going to the bathroom, but she kept walking until she got to his bedroom. He followed her in there only to see her pull back the covers and climb into bed. His bed. She even fluffed his pillow before she laid down. It was then that he realized he had gotten kicked out of his room but a drunken sleepwalker. He just sighed and took the couch.

And now he was looking at his pink haired former student. Lying in his bed. Snoring lightly… and was she wearing his t-shirt? Apparently she had gotten up in the middle of the night and decided the jeans were too uncomfortable. Well, it wasn't like anything bad had happened. It's not like they slept together or anything.

That would just be silly.

But he had to admit, it did look that way. His biggest worry at that moment is that she would think they did. If she had just stayed in her own clothes, he could've just dropped her off at her own apartment while she was still sleeping. He didn't fancy the idea of undressing his former student to put her back in them though. It's not that he was embarrassed. He'd seen plenty of naked women before… most of them in Icha Icha books, but he had none the less. Besides, with how his luck was going, she would probably wake up in the middle of it and punch the shit out of him. Definitely not worth it.

So he decided to just go back to the living room and wait for her to wake up on her own.

* * *

He was in the middle of making breakfast when he heard her scream. A few seconds later he heard the stomping of her feet, followed by a crash, and then finally she stumbled into the living room.

"Where the hell am I?" He assumed he was asking herself.

"Oh, Sakura, I see you're awake," Kakashi walked into the living room to see her face shoot up in his direction.

"Kakashi-sensei? Is this-This is your apartment!"

"Why, yes it is-"

"What am I doing here?!"

"Well you see-"

"What was I doing in your bed?!"

"You just happened-"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"…yes, Sakura?"

"….is this… is this your shirt…?"

Well, she was quite sharp, wasn't she? He was still deciding what to say to her when a look of utter mortification crossed her face.

"Sakura? Are you…" Before he could finish his question she was gone. Had she always been that fast? Maybe she was just being fueled by the embarrassment and confusion. He certainly didn't move that fast with a hangover.

"Hm… that went rather well."

As he cleaned up his now burnt breakfast, the silver haired ninja thought over what had just happened. More importantly, he wondered what would happen next. He knew Sakura wouldn't be able to come right out and ask him about last night, but he also knew that she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. Sakura could be rather reserved when it came to anything sexual. He didn't know everything about her, but he was sure at the age of 19, she had yet to have sex. After finally getting over Sasuke, she seemed less willing to go out on dates, led alone try a relationship. And while he didn't claim to know every aspect of her character, she didn't seem the type to have sex outside of a relationship.

He could be wrong though. What did he know? It's not like he was a psychiatrist.

Those guys were just creepy.

He sighed as he poured himself some cereal (elaborate breakfasts that required cooking were overrated anyways) and wondered how long she would avoid him before she finally asked him what had happened.

* * *

The copy-nin stared at his ceiling. He had to get up soon to check for any missions, and potentially fill out paper work. Not that he would do the latter if he could avoid it. He didn't have to be there at any particular time, but the earlier he got there, the better chance he would have at not getting sent on some crappy mission to somewhere like Sand. He wasn't much of a desert person. Then again, it's not like he really had anything better to do. He really didn't have that many friends. For a moment, he thought of his team, and then, of course, Sakura.

Kakashi really had to hand it to his pink haired student. When she wanted to avoid someone, she really avoided them. It had been over two weeks since they'd last spoken to each other. It wasn't like he couldn't find her if he didn't want to, but he figured it would be easier to wait until she was ready to confront him. He seriously hoped that if he ever got diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, she wouldn't be the one to tell him. He would die long before she ever found the right words to tell him.

He didn't expect her to take so long to talk to him. He figured a few days to a week maybe, but now he was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to talk to him again. If this had been anyone but Sakura, he definitely wouldn't be so patient with her. Then again, if it was anybody but Sakura it wouldn't have ever happened. His pink haired former student was probably the only person he would let come into his house unannounced like that. Kakashi certainly wouldn't have let anybody else claim his bed like that, especially without him in it.

The jounin sighed. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered what kind of opinion Sakura held of him. Did she really think he would take advantage of her drunken state like that? The medic was by no means unattractive to him. On the contrary, he thought she was probably one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met. Mostly because she wasn't overly obsessed with trying to be beautiful, but wasn't afraid to dress up every now and then. And he didn't find a thing wrong with thinking that. It's not like he wanted to ravish her or that every moment he saw her he was thinking inappropriate thoughts.

Now, if she was sober, and wanted to have sex with him, would he do it?

…

Eh, who knows?

That wasn't important right at that moment anyways. With another sigh, Kakashi got out of bed and walked into his bathroom. As much as he didn't want to, he supposed he would have to go out of his way to find Sakura to explain what had happened. If he didn't do it soon, she might end up traumatized or something.

And that would just make him feel bad.

* * *

A/N: Do you like it? I dunno about my writing style. I'm a pretty sarcastic person. Any suggestions would be nice. :D C'mon… ilu?


	2. Are you kidding me?

So... it's been a while, huh? My bad. Since I posted the first chapter, I've moved to another state. Got a new job. Moved back to my home state. Lived in three different places, and have gone through two cars. Good times. So, uh. Yeah. Sorry. I'll actually update it now that I'm stationary and have a computer. I don't have a beta btw. I read over it multiple times. I hope it doesn't suck too bad!

Edit: I fixed the format and added some lyrics. Oh and I fixed a few words.

* * *

Chapter 2: Are you kidding me?

_Words don't seem to come so easy_  
_When I need them oh so badly_  
_Here's to playing tug of war with my vocal chords_  
_Maybe I can give this another_  
_Shot or sing about a broken _  
_Heart, or imitate the way it feels_  
_If this is happening for real_

* * *

Sakura closed the door behind her and left her last patient for the day. It had been nothing serious, just a genin that had hit their head too hard during training. She handed his chart to one of the nurses at the floor's check in desk and started down the hallway. She glanced at her watch and figured it was time for a break. A drink from the vending machine sounded good.

It was a slow day at the hospital, which both relieved and disappointed Sakura. Not many people were seriously injured, which Sakura always thought was a good thing. However, when there wasn't a lot to do, the day seemed to drag on. She had a few interesting, if not funny, patients today though. One man had gotten a shuriken stuck in an uncomfortable spot that made him unable to sit down. When Sakura had asked him how it happened, him mumbled something about a prank his genin students played on him. Sakura dearly hoped that if she ever took a genin team, they were nothing like his students. Even team seven had never done anything like that, and they were well known for the pranks they played.

The pink haired medic stopped her trek down the hall to look out the window. The weather was nice for this time of year, and she was grateful that she would be able to enjoy it soon. In Konaha, the month of June was filled with days in which the temperature would reach the high nineties to the low hundreds. It was those days that she was glad she kept her hair short, and when a little part of her also wished she was a guy so that she, too, could walk around shirtless. Today, however, was only in the low nineties with enough of a breeze to offer comfort, but not too much that you would get dirt blown in your face (that will do wonders to your make up).

The medic's face lit up when she saw Shizune making her way to the building. The Hokage's assistant was a sure cure to Sakura's boredom, even if seeing her meant she would be removing an arm from somebody's stomach (anything was possible in the world of shinobi), it would be something to do. Sakura turned to start back down the hall before a flash of gray made her do a double take. She looked down below only to see a little boy carrying a mop over his shoulder.

'Be still my beating heart. Maybe I should avoid windows…' Sakura snorted as soon as she thought it. 'Right, avoid windows. Maybe next I'll just stop going outside. And eventually I can just resort to locking myself in my closet and eat my own clothes to survive. Right.'

Sakura shook her head and starting walking towards the elevator to meet Shizune. Even she had to admit to herself, her avoidance of her former teacher was beginning to get ridiculous. And though she knew this, she couldn't bring herself to stop. Sakura didn't even know what to say if they were to talk about it. The medic wasn't so stupid that she couldn't figure out that they hadn't had sex, though it took a couple of days to draw this conclusion. But she didn't know what all had happened either. She woke up in his bed, wearing his shirt no less and she had a hard time believing that nothing had happened. Sakura wasn't that experienced in the subject, but she knew enough to know that you could do a lot of things in between having sex.

She honestly couldn't say what she would do if it was confirmed that something had happened. Part of Sakura would be embarrassed for even letting it happen. Even in her drunken state, she should have been able to shrug off a few advances, even from someone as close to her as the copy-nin. The other part of her would be furious with Kakashi for breaking her trust in such a way. Regardless of who came on to whom, he should've at least stopped it from happening.

She shook her head and let the thoughts go. It would do no good to keep thinking about it until she finally talked to him. Not that she really knew when that time would come, but letting it get to her like it was certainly wasn't helping.

When she reached the elevator the doors opened to reveal an exhausted looking Shizune. As soon as the other medic's eyes met Sakura's, they instantly lit up.

"Sakura! You're just the person I was looking for," Sakura blinked at the older woman's words.

"Um, yes? Long day?" Sakura asked as Shizune sighed and stepped out of the elevator.

"Very. I honestly don't understand how Tsunade-sama manages to accumulate so much paper work. Even for being Hokage, she has way too much. I was just about to bang my head into my desk when they called me down to the poisons department," As soon as she finished speaking her eyes widened and she turned only to have the doors shut in her face. "I'm on the wrong floor…" Her shoulders slumped a little as she pushed the up button. Sakura gave her a look of sympathy, and then pushed the down button for herself.

"At least you're getting out of the office," Sakura offered with a smile. "But what did you need me for?" At this Shizune smiled wryly.

"Well, actually, Tsunade-sama's the one that needs you," At this Sakura's smile faltered. "It's not for paper work!" The older woman added quickly. "She just needs you relay and explain a mission that has a lot of medical information involved. She's too busy to do it herself, and I can't do it since I have to go to the poisons department." A ding sounded as the elevator going up arrived.

"Oh. Alright. I guess I'll head over there then. Thanks, Shizune," They both gave a wave, and Shizune stepped into her elevator, Sakura's arriving only a couple of seconds later. The pink haired medic stepped into the empty elevator and pushed the button to the first floor. Leaning against the wall, she looked up at the reflective ceiling and observed her current state. She looked a lot better than she did most days which showed just how little she had done that day. Her medic uniform barely had a wrinkle in it while her hair looked the same as it had this morning, and that was a rarity in itself. Usually it needed a good brushing at least by three hours into her shift.

The elevator doors opened to the first floor and Sakura stepped out. Since she probably wouldn't be coming back to the hospital after her visit to the Hokage, she decided it would be best to change out of her medic clothes first. Sakura just hoped that whoever she was relaying this mission to wasn't too challenged when it came to medical information. If that ended up being the case, it could take hours, rather than a simple thirty minutes. Sakura sighed and headed towards the lockers, hoping that her luck wouldn't be that bad.

* * *

Tsunade seriously hated paperwork. The Hokage decided if there was indeed a hell, it would consist of filing a never ending amount of paper work. The past few days had been spent going over way more documents than usual, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her where it had all come from. It was days like this that she almost regretted agreeing to become Hokage.

A knock at the door made the slug princess look up from her desk. 'I knew there was some kind of god out there,' Tsunade almost sighed in relief. Any break from paper work was welcome with open arms. Hell, even an AA meeting was looking a lot more entertaining than this.

"Come in," Tsunade called after a second knock sounded. A second later her pink haired apprentice was opening her door and stepping in.

"You wanted to see me, shishou?" Sakura closed the door behind her.

She did? Honestly, Tsunade didn't even remember summoning her. What had she called her for…?

"Something about relaying a mission…." Sakura trailed off, hoping to jog the older woman's memory.

"Oh, that's right," Tsunade shuffled through the many documents and scrolls before she pulled out a mission scroll. She tossed it to the young medic and then pulled out another paper. "Now, let's see… you are to relay and explain this mission to…." Her eyes scanned down the list until one name caught her eye and she immediately made her decision.

"Sakura."

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou?"

"Why have you been avoiding Kakashi?"

To say the question caught Sakura off guard would be a vast understatement. The medic nearly choked on her own spit, she was so surprised.

"W-wha-I don't know what you- excuse me?" The kunoichi could only sputter.

"You heard me. Why have you been avoiding Kakashi?" The Hokage asked again.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about, shishou…" Sakura looked like she wanted to find a hole and disappear, and Tsunade couldn't help but smirk at this.

"Honestly, it's not that hard to catch on. Do you realize how many times Shizune or I have been talking to you, and as soon as that man begins to come within the vicinity you either tensed up or excused yourself? Even that fool Naruto would've caught on by now," Tsunade looked expectantly at her apprentice. Sakura was silent for a while, possibly because she was just embarrassed, or maybe she was trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

"We had a bit of an incident," She mumbled so low Tsunade barely caught it.

"Oh? Is that so? And you haven't cleared it up yet?" Tsunade already knew the answer to the question.

"We haven't had a chance to speak to one another." More like Sakura never gave them a chance to talk to one another, but who was being technical?

"That's too bad. Well, now's your chance," The slug princess barely contained her laughter at the 'I've-just-been-stabbed' look on the girl's face.

"B-but, shishou-"

"No buts. Read over the scroll, explain all the delicate parts, and make sure he understands. Got it?"

"Yes, shishou." The look on Sakura's face could've been the poster for a 'Feed the Children' add.

"Great. Now get out of here."

Sakura bowed, obviously tense, and turned to exit. After the door shut behind her, Tsunade finally broke out into a grin. Sure, a small part of her felt a little bad for her apprentice, but mostly she was just amused. It was situations like these that made being Hokage more bearable.

* * *

Kakashi strolled into the jounin building in his usual state: slouched over with one hand in his pocket and other holding his infamous bright orange book. His fellow jounin had long gotten used to his choice of reading material, though there were always one or two disgusted stares he got. Not that he really cared seeing as most people were smart enough not to say anything to him about it. Of course every few months or so, there was always one poor individual who didn't know any better. The copy nin's sharp tongue always made them realize just why exactly no one questioned it.

He stopped at the front desk, not bothering to even look up from his book.

"Ah, Kakashi-san. We were beginning to think you'd never pick up your mission scroll," The chunin behind the desk reached over into what Kakashi assumed to be a "box o' missions". Kakashi merely grunted in reply.

Without a word Kakashi took the scroll and walked out of the building. As you could tell, he was quite the conversationalist. Not that he really cared. He pocketed his favorite book and opened his mission scroll only to see "See Medic-nin Haruno Sakura". Awesome. He really hadn't had enough awkward moments that day.

* * *

It didn't take long to find the pink haired kunoichi. She was simply waiting in the lobby of the hospital. Here he was looking forward to a good game of hide-and-go-seek. Maybe next time.

Even from where he was he noticed the look of death upon her face. Either she was really dreading their encounter or she had a serious case of indigestion. ...it was probably the indigestion. Who wouldn't look forward to seeing him?

"Yo." He didn't even finish lifting his hand to wave before she jumped up and nearly knocked the chair over.

"Kakashi-sensei! You scared me!"

Really? Ninja's these days.

"Hello Sakura. I hear you're giving me my mission details. Good times," Kakashi noted that the look on her face said she felt just the opposite. Sad times?

"Um, yes. Did you want to go outside? It's really nice out and I'm getting tired of being in the hospital," Sakura managed a weak smile. He had to give her credit for that. He simply shrugged in response and Sakura took that as a yes.

She sighed, grabbed her scroll and lead the way out the front doors. She stopped at a bench a little ways away from the hospital and sat down. Kakashi didn't bother sitting himself, choosing instead to lean against the back of it.

"Okay. Um. Alright." She was off to a great start indeed. "So a big part of your mission involves poison. It's very powerful and very concentrated. A drop of it could cause serious illness. A teaspoon would kill a man up to 200 pounds. If he's more than 200 hundred pounds go for 2 teaspoons."

"And if he's more than 400 hundred pounds, tell him to go on a diet?"

"Um. No. Just go for one teaspoon for every 200 pounds." Sakura was quite the joke killer today. Kakashi just nodded in response. "The best way to slip him the... Kakashi-sensei?"

Slip him the Kakashi-sensei? Huh? Oh wait, she was going to ask him a question.

"Yes, Sakura?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"About that night..." Yup. It's like he was psychic. Maybe he should exploit that... "We haven't talk about it since it happened..."

"Oh. Well that's because you keep avoiding me," Kakashi happily pointed out. Sakura flinched. That's right. Be guilty. Ohhhh, not really.

"I couldn't talk to you about it because I was…" Sakura fidgeted as she thought of what she was trying to say.

"Because you were embarrassed? Why would you be embarrassed?" Well he knew why she would be embarassed, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"How do you expect me to react to something like that? Of course I'm embarrassed. Why wouldn't I be embarrassed?" Kakashi could tell that his former student was starting to lose her temper.

"Honestly Sakura, you're just being sensitive. You shouldn't be letting this bother you so much. This type of thing happens a lot; it's really not that big of a deal," As soon as Kakashi finished and noticed the shock in his former students eyes, he knew she had taken it the wrong way. For Sakura, though, those words confirmed what she had feared the most.

"I can't believe you! I can't believe you can just brush something like this off like it's no big deal! I thought you were better than this but no! Are you that desperate that you can't keep your hands off of your own friend? I used to be your student! I trusted you, damn it!" By now Sakura was glaring so hard Kakashi was surprised she didn't bust a vein. "You're nothing but a worthless, sick, pervert!"

And that, Kakashi decided, was the limit of his patience. It wasn't often that the copy nin got mad. It was less often that he got angry with a close friend. Somehow, though, Sakura had managed. And she had done a damn good job.

"Sakura."

"What?" The kunoichi snapped.

"Are you seriously that stupid?" Sakura's blinked in surprise as Kakashi gave her his best eye crinkle-smile.

"What? How dare you! After what you did to me? I don't think you have any room to talk at all-"

"Right, and I'm sure you think that song's about you too," The confused look on the pink haired girl's face told Kakashi that she was too young and culturally sheltered to get that reference. He brushed it off.

"Let me clear a few of things up for you, because you're obviously confused," The voice he used sounded cheerful, but Sakura knew he was anything but. "Despite what you may hear about me, I am not some sex crazed maniac. I don't need to have sex. I certainly don't have to resort to taking advantage of my drunk former student who couldn't even stand up right to get my jollies off."

"But-"

"Secondly," Kakashi interrupted. "You are not so irresistible that I can't keep my hands off of you. I don't feel the need to touch you when you're sober, and I sure as hell don't feel the need when you're completely wasted. But, don't let that ruin your own perception of yourself. I'm sure there are plenty of over hormonal teenage boys that would've been more that happy to go 'all the way'."

"Kakashi-"

"And finally, while you are my dear former student, I can safely say you really don't know much about me. In fact, I'm positive that the only thing that could rival your lack of knowledge about me, is my lack of give a damn. Toodles."

And with a puff of smoke and leaves, Sakura was left alone to stare in shock.

What. The. Fuck.


	3. Who's Joe?

Dude... dude... _dude_... So in good news I finally have a good new computer to call my own. In not so good news I lost chapter 2 in the process. It took so long to get through that first part too. So of course out went my motivation. SIGH. So here I am, starting again. I'm probably going to stick mostly to Kakashi's POV. Also, I see a lot of you enjoy my humor. I'm happy to hear that. I should probably change it to romance/humor. Haha.

Disclaimer: No sir.

Warning: I have no beta. And Word pad finds spell check below them. I'm not cool enough for Microsoft word.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Who's Joe?**

_Oh the webs you weave_

_We are caught in the fame_

_the passion's dead_

_the life you've lead_

_has drown in your shame_

_oh the webs I weave_

_I am caught in this game_

_my passions dead_

_the life I've lead_

_has drowned me in vain_

* * *

Kakashi flipped the page of his Icha Icha book as he ignored the senbon user in front of him. Kakashi knew the other man was waiting for him to acknowledge him, but seeing as the Copy-nin had been ignoring him for half an hour already, he figured the other jounin would just leave.

"So..." Genma started.

Scratch that. Why do people feel it's okay to start a whole conversation as if they were already in the middle of one? Such a lack of manners.

Kakashi simply turned the page again.

"Publicly tear down any former students self esteem lately?" Genma asked casually.

"No, but I have seen a great movie," Kakashi replied.

"The one where the maid starts working for a super rich family and the arrogant son ends up falling for her and changing his ways?"

"Absolutely not. That guy was a traitor to arrogant men everywhere," The Copy-nin shook his head disappointment. "I was referring to the one where the family is haunted by a demon and he kills them in such interesting ways. Those type of movies always warm my heart."

"As much as tearing down your old students?" Gemna inquired.

Persistent with this subject aren't we?

"I'm afraid you'd have to be more specific. I've had a few and I find that quite a lot of them were very sensitive," Kakashi remarked.

"Oh yeah?" Genma leaned back. "How many of them had pink hair and were apprentices to the 5th Hokage?"

"Hmm... well I'd have to count and get back to you."

Genma smirked. "Oh please. I'm not here to demand an apology or anything. I'm just curious as to what happened. It's not like I'd tell anyone anyway. If Shizune found out I was talking about it and not defending Sakura's honor she'd make me sleep on the couch. Or worse, the opposite side of the bed."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I can't say I follow that thought."

"You know how much worse it is to be laying right next to someone knowing that there's no way you're getting lucky that night?"

"Is that how you feel about me on missions?" Kakashi wondered.

"You found me out," Genma replied sarcastically.

"We can cuddle," Kakashi offered.

"Gee thanks. So tell me what you're wonderful student did to earn the wrath of the Great Copy Ninja Kakashi," Genma leaned back in his chair and waited for the other jounin to answer him.

He really wasn't going to let this go. If it had been anyone else Kakashi would've just teleported out by now. Ever since Asuma died though, Genma was probably Kakashi's closest frie-ew that word sounded gross just thinking about it. Closest acquaintance would have to do.

Kakashi sighed and pocketed his Icha Icha. He enjoyed reading it alone anyway. "We just had a misunderstanding," Kakashi said.

"Was this before or after the public tear down?"

"You make it sound like I gathered all of Konoha to watch and point while I verbally assaulted her. We just happened to be outside," Kakashi sighed.

"Well obviously somebody saw you guys or I wouldn't be in front of you asking what happened," Genma rolled his eyes. Kakashi sighed once more.

"Alright, I'll make the disclaimer that maybe I was a little too mean even though she did make me mad. If I had thought more about it I wouldn't have said anything to her in a place where people could overhear. Maybe next time I'll just write her a letter of concern," Kakashi mused.

"You'd never get the letter out," Genma commented.

"That's true. But I digress. It happened the night that we went out drinking with my team and Shikamaru's-" Kakashi started.

"Oh hell no. Did you sleep with her?" Genma looked like he was caught between shaking his head in disgust or high fiving him.

"Do people really have that low of an opinion of me? I don't want to have drunken sex with my old students. And no, not even that lady killer Sasuke. Can I continue?" Kakashi took the silence as a yes. "Anyway, to make a long story short, she came to my house after I had left and told me she forgot her keys. I would've just broken in for her but she stumbled in and passed out before I got a chance." The Copy-nin smartly left out that she had actually fell face first into his apartment. That would be his little secret.

"She woke up just long enough to take over my room, so I took the couch. In the morning she woke up yelling while I was cooking breakfast, ran out in one of my shirts, and then ran out the door," Kakashi finished. The shinobi in front of him just stared.

"Am I missing something?" Genma asked.

"Oh she thought we fooled around. She's a medic so she was at least smart enough to know we didn't sleep together. I suppose she misunderstood me when she wanted to talk about it and then she called me something along the lines of 'worthless, sick, pervert'. All I did was kindly tell her that nothing happened and that she really doesn't know enough about me to be making such assumptions about my character," To this Kakashi gave one of his crinkled eyed smiles.

"From what I heard you were anything but kind about it," Genma snorted. "Though I can see why you'd be mad. Really at this rate if she was going to get that mad at you anyway you mine as well have fooled around."

Kakashi grimaced.

"Now Genma, what would Joe say about that?"

"Who the hell is Joe?"

"Joe Mama."

And with that Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"Ino. Kill me. Kill me now. You have to have a weapon on you. If not, I'm sure that chopstick will do," Sakura muttered into her hands.

Ino raised an eyebrow at her pink-haired friend. After laying her head on the table for the past five minutes she'd finally lifted it only to bury it in her hands.

"As fun as that sounds, no. I don't want to get my chop sticks dirty. Blood and sashimi don't mix too well I hear," Ino took another bite of her tuna as if to emphasize this.

Ino sighed at her best friend's antics. Sakura had been waiting outside of interrogation for her to finish reporting on her latest assignment. Ino had been surprised at first since they hadn't made any plans, but she brushed it of.

_"Hey there Stalker Status. What brings you to stake out my department?" Ino stopped to look down at her sitting friend. When she didn't immediately answer the blonde bent down to get a look at her face._

_She wouldn't say her pink haired friend looked like total shit. The look on her face wasn't quite 'Sasuke-just-betrayed-Konoha' but more along the lines of 'Naruto-just-got-hurt-pretty-bad-on-a-mission' but not quite that serious. _

_"Hey, what's wrong? Is anybody hurt? Is it Kakashi again? He's always getting hurt," Ino noticed Sakura flinch at the jounin's name. "Is he hurt? If that's it, I mean that's at least once every few months not including extended missions. No biggie."_

_"Kakashi-sensei's not hurt," Sakura muttered so low Ino almost didn't catch it._

_Oh... Hopefully that jab didn't get back to him._

_"Well then what's wrong?"_

_"Can we just... can we go get some lunch and I'll tell you?" Sakura asked._

_"Sure thing forehead. Just let me get cleaned up," Ino smiled and offered the her friend a hand._

Then Sakura proceeded to stare ahead like the dead the whole time Ino was walking around getting ready. The blonde started getting suspicious that Sakura was possessed by a demon and contemplated performing a purification ritual. She'd have to ask Shikamaru how to do one. He knew everything.

"So, are you going to finally tell me what's wrong?" Ino asked casually. It's best to use caution when dealing with possessed friends. Sakura was silent for a few minutes, and just when Ino was contemplating a nap she finally spoke.

"I... I had a misunderstanding with Kakashi."

Ino raised her eyebrow. "Did you insult his mother?"

"No I..." Sakura sighed. "The couple of weeks ago when we went out drinking, after I left I don't know what happened but some how I ended up in his bed wearing one of his shirts. I freaked out and ran out of there. You were gone on your mission the next day so you didn't see me trying to avoid him like the plague. I finally had to see him again a couple days ago to give him details on a new mission of his and we started talking about it.

When he told me this situation wasn't a big deal and it happens all the time, I thought he was talking about us, you know, doing stuff. So I got mad a yelled at him and called him awful things. He interrupted me and basically told me he'd never touch me like that and that I knew nothing about him and," Sakura sighed. "I feel so stupid! How could I even think that Kakashi-sensei would do something like that? Of course he's mad!"

"Wait, so you guys didn't do anything?"

Sakura shook her head.

"That is so disappointing," Ino shook her head.

"Ino!"

"What? I'm just saying if you're going to drunkenly fool around with someone, at least they can look as good as Kakashi-sensei. I still remember that time Naruto was drunk and accidently stumbled and pulled his mask down. It was only for a split second, but in that second I saw perfection. If the people I got on my seduction assignments looked half as good as Kakashi-sensei, I wouldn't complain," Ino sighed remembering the moment.

"I still can't believe you saw his face and I haven't..." Sakura muttered, momentarily distracted.

"So did Shikamaru. Even that lazy bum couldn't deny how good Kakashi looked. He'll deny it now, but nearly dropped the drink he was holding," Ino laughed.

"Ino what am I going to do?" Sakura poked at her untouched food.

"I dunno, this is gonna sound really crazy, but maybe you should apologize?" Ino shrugged.

"I can't even face him, led alone apologize!" Sakura stabbed her chicken katsu with her chopsticks. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Well, you could always offer to go ahead a do what you were accusing him of anyways," Ino suggested.

"That's so gross! He's, like, five times my age!" Sakura yelled, earning a few looks from others in the restaurant.

"Whoa, keep it down. It was just a friendly suggestion. Anyways, let's think about this more tomorrow. I want to celebrate the success of my mission. Let's go out drinking tonight!" Ino grinned.

"Yeah, because that went awesome last time," The pink haired medic glared at her friend.

"Oh come on. It'll be fun! Kakashi-sensei won't even be there. I promise that I and my team will make sure that you safely make it to your apartment. Or my apartment. On the bright side in a week we'll be living together anyways, so that's more of a guarantee that you will make it home after nights of drinking!" Ino exclaimed, smiling widely. Sakura sighed at her friend.

"Alright, fine, but I'm not drinking that much," Sakura stabbed the other chopstick into the chicken katsu.

"Awesome!" Ino grinned continued eating her sashimi.

When purification rituals are not an option, go for alcohol. Demons hate alcohol? Or did they love them? Hmm...

* * *

A/N: .GEESUHS. Finally done. Is anyone even still interested in this story? I'm actually pretty glad I lost the first chapter 2. This one went a lot better.

Also, my b about that jab to Kakashi. But I'm super serial guys. He's kickass and he's my second favorite character, but dude is always gettin' his shit fucked up. He even died at one point! He like kicks ass for a chapter or two and then something happens and he's out of commission. Come on now.

Also, I'm sorry I say "anyways" so much in this fic!

edit: shout out to anyone who knows where the "Who's Joe?" line comes from.


	4. Whose Uncle Died?

**A/N: **Hey guys. Been a while. Heh. Heh... yeah, sorry. ._. I wish I could convey my trials and tribulations but that's just a mouthful. So yeah, sorry. Hopefully I actually get the next chapter out at a reasonable time. So yeah, I don't have a beta or anything. I just stick my eyeball to the computer screen so I can look _really closely _for any mistakes.

**Disclaimer: **YOU GET. NOTHING!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Whose Uncle Died?**

_There's not one girl here that will be lead by her conscience_  
_In a world where every girl wants to be a model_  
_What's wrong babe?_  
_Did daddy not give you enough attention?_

* * *

Her reflection stared back at her as she contemplated what to wear tonight. So far Sakura had figured out that she was going to wear underwear.

She was already off to a good start.

"Have you seriously not figured out what you're wearing tonight?" Ino stepped out of the bathroom in a purple halter dress that stopped at her mid thigh. It was tight enough to show off her curves but not too tight to have Sakura wondering how she squeezed into it. She probably saved those for hot dates. She was putting on a pair of dangling silver earrings with lavender colored stones at the end and giving Sakura a disapproving look.

"Listen, some of us don't have dresses for days. My clothing money usually goes to gear, gear, and more gear to replace that gear," Sakura huffed as she looked at herself again. Usually when she went to get drinks it was after she finished working at the hospital and she didn't bother changing.

"Do you want to borrow one of mine?" Ino asked. Sakura made a show of looking and the blonde's hips, chest, and then back up to her face with incredulous look. "I was just trying to help!" Ino said defensively and walked back into the bathroom.

"Wearing a dress with that much extra material around my boobs isn't going to help me in any way!" Sakura called back as she walked over to her closet. They had been at her place for almost an hour and Ino had already done her hair and make up, changed outfits 3 times, and even touched up her nails. Sakura had at least done her hair (not like that was hard) and make up, but for majority of the hour she'd been trying to figure what to wear. Who knew having less clothes would make it more difficult to pick out an outfit.

"Oh! Why don't you wear that red dress Tenten got you for your birthday?" Ino stepped back out of the bathroom and walked over to join Sakura at her closet.

"I forgot about that dress," Sakura reached into the dark depths of her closet reserved for clothes she never wore and pulled out a crimson dress. "I was saving it for a special occasion." Like an actual date. "I hope it's not too tight." Sakura walked over to the mirror and held the dress up to herself.

"Exactly where would it be too tight on you? You're not wearing it over your forehead," Ino rolled her eyes and went to sit on the bed.

Sakura pursed her lips but chose to let the comment slide. It was a simple sleeveless red dress with a square neckline that hugged her torso, flared out slightly at her hips and ended just above her knees. It wasn't too flashy and it wasn't too sexy. Tenten had amazing taste when it came to fashion. She always knew what styles worked best on people.

"Well, I'd feel better if I had used it on a more special occasion-"

"What? Like a date? Psh. Like that's going to happen anytime soon. Just think of the moth bites-"

"But," Sakura interrupted the blonde with a glare. Ino shrugged in response. "It's a nice dress and now's as good a time as any."

Sakura took the dress off the hanger and started to slip into the dress.

"Great. At the rate you were going I was afraid we wouldn't get out the apartment until tomorrow night. By the way, I know you don't exactly have a lot of stuff, but when are you going to start packing?" Ino looked around and saw empty folded boxes but everything else looked for the most part untouched. She saw a pitiful attempt at gathering books in the corner but that seemed to be it.

"Ugh, I'll start tomorrow," Sakura sighed and admired the dress in the mirror. She was going to have to buy Tenten a drink when she saw her tonight. If she hadn't been a weapon specialist she could've easily been a stylist. Sakura would have to get her to come out with her to shop for more street clothes.

"Spoken like a procrastinator. At least you still have your brains."

"Whatever. Let's go." The pink haired girl slipped into short, black strapped heels. It's not like she didn't feel like doing it. She was always busy with hospital work and missions that when she was free she just ended up sleeping a lot. She still had a few days.

"Finally." Ino all but ran to the door. Sakura rolled her eyes as she followed after her. She didn't take that long.

* * *

"So..."

Again with this starting conversations with the word "so". People really did need to learn better conversational skills. Konoha should implement some public speaking class that all ninjas have to take. Maybe he would suggest that to Tsunade. Who would teach it?  
He was getting off track. He needed to figure out why Genma was in his living room first. Public speaking classes could wait.

But he was seriously going to have to give that some thought.

"Genma." Kakashi acknowledged his presence. It only took him fifteen minutes this time. "What brings you to my living room? You need sugar? I can just loan you the money for it."

"Oh thank goodness. I was afraid the cupcakes I planned on baking would have to wait," Genma deadpanned.

"As long as I can help bring more cupcakes into the world," Kakashi smiled back.

"Glad we got the important thing out of the way. Anyways, we're going to the bar," The senbon user stated.

"Pardon? You mean 'we' in the royal sense? I didn't realize you had become so majestic."

"I mean 'we' as in you and I," Genma rolled his eyes.

"Oh dear, I didn't realized I had double booked with you and my bed tonight. If only there was a way to combine the two-"

"Gross. I don't want to cuddle with hairy man legs. Shizune is mad at me and it's indirectly your fault so you're going out with me to the bar," The jounin declared.

"What exactly did I do to get you in trouble?"

"Oh, that whole public tear down of your former student thing."

"I don't follow."

"I ended up telling Shizune about our conversation and she got mad at me for some silly womanly reason. So I might be on the couch again," Genma explained.

"Might?"

"I'm honestly not sure if I'm even allowed on the couch. So there is a chance we will be cuddling tonight."

Kakashi shuddered at the thought.

"I fail to see how that's my fault. You were the nosy one who decided he also wanted to gossip like an old lady," The copy-nin pointed out.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to be nosy and tell Shizune about anything if you hadn't decided to be a douche to your student where people could witness. So really, this all started with you," Genma countered.

Actually, it started with Sakura drunkenly knocking on his door. She didn't seem to be here to take the responsibility for Genma's situation though.

"Come on, man. There's gotta be some favor I can do in return," The tokujo offered.

Now they were getting somewhere.

"You can do this mission for me," Kakashi reached in his flak jacket and tossed the scroll to Genma.

"Seriously? A mission?" Genma opened the scroll and skimmed over it. "This isn't even hard. It'd take two days at the most."

"I know. I just hate dealing with poison missions," Kakashi shrugged.

"Fine, whatever. The two days away will calm Shizune down anyways. Then she'll be happy to see me come back from a mission. Actually, this works out perfectly."

"Great. Then there should be no need for me to go out with you to the bar," The copy-nin smiled.

"No, that's still happening."

So close.

* * *

This wasn't good.

This was a situation.

How did she get to this point?

She came in with Ino. Shikamaru and Chouji were already here and they bought the first two rounds of drinks. Then Tenten and Neji had arrived. Tenten was excited to see Sakura wearing her dress and decided this deserved some kind of celebratory shot. Neji had bought the third round of drinks. Random man bought a round of shots for their table. Kiba and Hinata were the last to arrive. Kiba decided to be an overachiever and not only buy the next round of drinks but also a round of shots. Somewhere between another round of drinks there was also another round of shots.

Well, that explained everything. Sakura looked up from her current drink. Tenten and Neji were the only ones at the table and they were immersed in their conversation. She saw Kiba and Hinata by the bar and Kiba seemed to be buying yet another round of drinks. Did this guy get some kind of bonus? Did a rich Uncle die? She needed to escape before that round of drinks got back to the table. Also, she kind of needed to pee.

Slowly, Sakura got up from the table.

Slowly, she sat back down.

This was going to take more concentration than she thought. Something Ino told her came to mind: when you drink sitting down, once you stand up it hits you all at once. She had no idea if there was any truth to that, but it felt pretty true at the moment. Sakura looked around to locate the bathrooms. They weren't too far away from the table and there didn't seem to be any obstacles like tables, chairs, or creepy men in trench coats. She would just have to carefully make her way there.

Once again, Sakura slowly stood up and started to make her way to the bathroom. She concentrated on her feet and used all she had learned about balance to stay steady. Who knew all those years of training would be used during a night of drinking to make it to the bathroom? Tsunade would be proud.

Actually, given the Hokage's drinking habits, she may actually be proud.

* * *

Genma sighed as he walked towards the bathrooms. Even if it was going to work out in his favor, he was not looking forward to going on that mission. Poison missions like these were pretty simple, really. Especially considering who he was dating, he knew a lot about poison. He just hated traveling outside of Konoha. He got spoiled being a personal guard for the Hokage. That involved minimal traveling.

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the copy-nin was still seated at the bar. It wouldn't be unlike Kakashi to leave and foot Genma with the bill. Hopefully he'd stay put with the knowledge that the senbon user sure as hell wouldn't do the mission for him if he disappeared on him.

Genma turned back around to walk into the bathroom. He paused as a beautiful pair of legs sitting on a chair by the bathroom entrances caught his attention.

B-e-a-utiful.

His eyes traveled up to a red dress, a modest but lovely topshelf, and pink hair-

Oh. Awkward.

_It's not like being taken means I can't admire good looking women. But holy shit do I not want to be admiring the wrong people_. Genma blanched to himself and started to walk again before coming to another pause.

This girl looked almost miserable. She was sitting in the chair with her head leaned back against the wall behind her. Her eyes were closed but he could see a slight grimace on her face. How long had she been here?

_She'll be fine. She had to have come here with friends and she's right by the bathrooms. They can find her easily._

It's what he thought but he felt a nagging guilt (that was probably all Shizune's fault) and finally sighed. He walked over to the pink haired kunoichi and almost nudged her leg with his foot but thought better.

"Hey. You."

No response.

"Hey."

Nothing.

"...Sakura."

Her eyes finally opened. Why couldn't she just open them in the first place? He was right in front of her. Who else could he be talking to?

Sakura blinked at him, clearly confused. Then he noticed her shift into a slightly more defensive position. Well, at least she didn't seem completely defenseless.

"Relax. I'm not trying to pick you up or do anything weird to you. I know we pretty much never talk but I'd hope your drunken mind can at least recognize me," Genma sighed.

Pause. Stare.

"Oh... You're Shizune's boyfriend," She said as she relaxed slightly.

Did she even know his name? Probably not. Did Shizune ever talk to her about him?

Stop being such a girl, Genma.

"Yeah. I was just making sure you were okay. Since I was on my way to the bathroom," He explained. This was actually more awkward than he thought it would be. He probably should've just kept walking.

"Oh... Uh, thanks. Are you here by yourself?" Sakura asked and briefly glanced around.

"No, I prefer not to drink in public by myself. Makes me feel like an alcoholic." He probably didn't need to at the part.

"Ah. Is Shizune with you?" She seemed to brighten just a bit.

"No. She stayed home tonight," He answered and saw her dim right back down.

"Oh..."

This was quite possibly one of the most painful conversations Genma had ever had. Even including all of the torturous interrogations he had endured. It was just so awkward. Why did he stop to talk to her?! He didn't really know what to say anymore and she looked kind of let down so he just blurted out:

"Kakashi's here, though."

Oh, that didn't help. Where was his mind tonight? He was never talking to this girl again for as long as he could help it. Thinking about it, it was partially her fault for him being put out tonight. She was really not his favorite person at this moment.

Her face contorted and she looked as if she was trying to smile but she couldn't quite manage. She probably knew that under normal circumstances that she would be happy to hear this news, but she just couldn't get her face to agree. The end result looked kind of like she had indigestion. Which, maybe she did considering she had been drinking.

"That's... That's good. He doesn't usually go out with friends," She managed to reply. Were they friends? Genma always just considered them acquaintances/colleagues that shared a slightly more cynical humor and sometimes view on life. That was kind of a mouthful though so he just let it go.

"I forced him," He explained. He was wasting too much time. "So, where are your friends and why are you just hanging out by the bathrooms? If you were a weird looking man in a trench coat it would be pretty damn creepy."

Sakura managed a small laugh at his comment. "I just had to go to the bathroom and the drinks hit me harder than I thought so I was just resting before I went back to the table. I've probably been here long enough though," She said as she began to slowly stand.

"Did you want me to walk you back to your table?" Genma asked. He didn't really wanted to, but he was kind-of-sort-of-sometimes-if-he-felt-like-it-maybe a gentleman.

"No, but thanks. It's not that far," Sakura politely declined. Good.

"Alright." This was a good place to end. "Hey, listen." Well, not good enough, apparently. "I know it's not really my business and you barely know who I am, but you should try talking to Kakashi. He got kind of mad but if you just clear up the misunderstanding, he'll let it go. He's terrible at staying mad at his friends," Genma scratched the back of his head as he said this. He wasn't really good a these things so he didn't really know why he said anything. Maybe it was because she looked so sad at the mention of Kakashi. Or maybe it was because Shizune talked about the pink-haired girl all the time with almost nothing but praises.

Then he saw something he thought he wouldn't be seeing again anytime soon. A smile. It wasn't a big one, but it was a smile.

"You're right. I should just talk to him. It was my fault for not understanding him and saying all those awful things to him in the first place. Thanks, Genma," Sakura smiled again and turned to walk back to her table way more steady than she had been before. He watched her as she got back to her table and her blonde friend ask her where she'd been as she hung her arm around the medic's shoulder. She looked considerably happier.

So, she did know his name. He turned to walk in to bathroom and smiled to himself.

She was a good kid.

* * *

**A/N: **Guys, I'm disappointed nobody got the "Who's Joe?" reference. Golden Girls, y'all! D: Alright, so that was a long shot anyways. I don't know about my writing style, guys. I feel like I'm just making funnies all the time. I can't keep my sarcasm at bay! Anyhoo, I hope you guys like this. It wasn't worth the wait, but I hope you like it anyways! I actually did start writing the next chapter, but that could mean nothing. Especially given my luck with computers... ALSO, thanks for everyone who reviews/favs/adds this to alerts! I appreciate you guys!

A couple things from reviews:

My favorite character is Shikamaru. Forever and ever and ever. AND EVER.

I know Kakashi fights strong people BUT I WILL NOT OVERLOOK IT. Hahaha.


	5. Rude Security!

**A/N: **WHO'S SURPRISED?! An update with less than a year of time between!? Who am I, right?! Well, I started feeling like a terrible person and I figured I should give this fic my attention while I'm still off from school. At the same time I'm also grateful for all those that read this story and liked it enough to keep thinking about it while it hadn't been updated in years. You guys are amazing. So, I decided to also try and little harder with my writing. I'm obviously by no means a professional and I'm still using good ol' word pad so I still make mistakes but I'm trying more. I tried to make this chapter at least a little longer too. I'm bad at writing long chapters. I also am going to be attempting to have a better balance with my humor and serious moments. I did change the secondary category to humor though. Anyways, enough of this, on to the story.

**Disclaimer: **We don't get no tolls, then we don't get no rolls.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Rude. Security!**

_I'm not a crybaby_  
_I'm the crybaby _  
_A caterpillar that got stuck_  
_Mr. Moth come quick with any luck_  
_A long walk to a dark ha-ha-house_  
_A roman candle heart keep us far apart_  
_I'm cocktail party doing all right_  
_Hate me baby, maybe I'm a piece of art_

* * *

The copy-nin was bored.

Since he gave the mission away to Genma he had a free two days. This was usually a good thing, but he didn't have anything to do. Of course, he could read his usual books but contrary to popular belief that wasn't all he did in his spare time. He would also go out to see a select few people. Those people were either on missions or he wasn't currently on speaking terms with them. There was also his last resort Genma, but he clearly wasn't around either. Nothing could ever make him seek out Gai.

The person he was most likely to bother in his spare time fell into the "not on speaking terms" category. He thought of his pink haired former student and their lack of being on good terms. He was pretty sure he had seen her last night at the bar he went to with Genma. Genma who had been gone for an awfully long time when he went to the bathroom, but Kakashi wasn't going to question that. What people did in the bathroom was between them, the toilet, and their maker. Moving on. At first, he had only seen a few of the other Konoha 11 and he thought maybe she had (wisely) chosen to stay home. Not soon after, he had seen her join them at their table. Maybe she, too, had spent some time in the bathroom. He wasn't going to think of that either.

At the very least, she hadn't seemed to be as wasted as she was that night a few weeks ago. Though, she clearly had been drinking. He was almost afraid to go home that night for fear of some kind of repeat from before, but he had seen her leave with Ino and the rest of Team 10. Shikamaru had a surprisingly high alcohol tolerance to go with that high IQ of his, so Kakashi at least knew he was sober enough to make sure his former student made it home. Chouji also seemed to hold his liquor well due to his size, but Kakashi wasn't sure if he would hold the same interest in making sure Sakura made it home. Unless she had chips for him there.

Kakashi glanced over at his clock and noted that it was almost eleven o'clock. He hadn't even eaten breakfast yet due to his lazy mood. At the sound of his stomach giving a small rumble, he decided it was probably best to go out to get some food. Cooking was just too much trouble this morning. With that thought, he rose from his place on the couch and headed towards his bedroom to get dressed. He was already wearing pants, he just needed to change into an undershirt with a mask and grab a t-shirt. Since he had no duties for the day he would forgo his usual flak jacket.

As the jounin pulled a short sleeved gray shirt over his head, his eyes caught the framed photo of him and Team 7. A small smile found its way to his lips as he walked over and picked the old frame up. The frame had certainly seen better days; this could also be said for those in the picture. So much had changed in all the years since the photo had been taken. They were back in more peaceful times, but a lot had happened to get there. It wasn't all bad considering how strong it had allowed all of his former students to become. Sakura was the top medic second to only the Hokage herself, with taijutsu skills that could put even the best of ninjas on their ass. Now she was also developing her genjutsu skills even more. Indeed, she would eventually surpass even her own master.

Naruto, of course, was in a league of his own. Both he and Sakura were now jounin with Naruto having the potential of joining ANBU. Something Kakashi felt Naruto wasn't really suited for but that was probably a good reason for him to join. It would give him more experiences that would get him closer to his dream of becoming Hokage.

And then there was Sasuke, who undoubtedly had become much stronger, though he wasn't here with the rest of them. After the war ended, he had chosen to continue wandering the world, unable to consider Konoha a home he could return to after all that happened with his family's past. It was difficult for the rest of Team 7 to move past this at first and in a way it had felt like a failure. The war had ended, there was peace, and they had all grown into fine shinobi; but through it all, they were still unable to bring Sasuke back. In that way Kakashi felt he had failed as a teacher. Thinking about it, though, he supposed he had failed in a lot of ways. His students most awing developments certainly hadn't been due to his help.

He sighed and set the photo back down. It was much too early in the day to be thinking about such depressing things. He made his way to the front door of his apartment and slipped on his usual sandals, grabbed his wallet off the small table, and made his way out of his home. He walked down the steps of his apartment building and waved when he saw his landlady.

"Yo!" He gave a wave and his usual one-eyed crinkle. The older lady smiled a waved him over.

"Kakashi-kun!" She was probably the only person who ever added a "kun" to the end of his name. She was such a sweet old lady that he couldn't bring himself to correct her.

"Hello, Takahashi-san. You're looking lovely as usual," Kakashi complimented when he walked up to her. Indeed, compliments like these were not his style, but she really was a sweet lady.

And she gave him a discounted rate on his rent. So there was also that.

"Oh, stop!" The landlady blushed and swatted her hand at him. "You're leaving your place awfully late. I rarely ever see you leaving later than nine on your days off. Is your lady friend busy?"

"Pardon? My lady friend?" Kakashi kept his smile up but he definitely didn't follow.

"Oh, don't be shy! I saw her leaving your apartment in a rush a couple weeks ago in nothing but a large shirt. She was very fast so I don't think anyone else saw her. She was quite pretty! Pink hair, fair skin, very nice legs..." The landlady smiled.

"Ah, you seem to have misunderstood-" Kakashi began, his smile becoming more strained.

"No need to explain, my dear! I was once young, you know. I remember what it's like to be caught up in the passion of love." She winked when she said this and the copy-nin couldn't stop the slight shudder that ran through him. "I'm not judging, but you should introduce her to me sometime! I'm sure she's a lovely lady. Anyhow, I must be going now. Those sales at the market won't last for too long. Goodbye, Kakashi-kun!" The older lady smiled and turned to make her way to the market stands. The copy-nin simply stood there for a few moments.

What an awkward misunderstanding. How many of those was he going to have this month? With a sigh Kakashi continued his quest to get something to eat. He chose for the moment not to think about his landlady's words to him.

The jounin walked for about ten minutes, occasionally returning waves to people he recognized but didn't know well enough to actually stop and converse with. Eventually, he arrived at a small restaurant that he would frequent on the days he didn't feel like cooking for himself.

"Welcome!" The owner called from behind the counter. "Sit where ever you'd like, Kakashi-san!"

Kakashi smiled, gave a small wave, and made his way to a table. The restaurant had a high half wall with tables and booths on either side of it to the the copy-nin's preference. People he didn't feel like talking to had a harder time spotting him and deciding to stay and chat when they couldn't see him.

"Would you like your usual, Kakashi-san?" The waitress, Mayuri, smiled and set a glass of water down for him.

"Yes, please," Kakashi replied. Mayuri gave a small bow and left to put in his order. Kakashi picked up his water and took a sip as he heard the owner call out another greeting. While this was one of the copy-nin's favorite places, it didn't often get busy. That food was pretty good and well priced, but the lack of crowd is probably what kept the jounin coming back. He didn't mind being around people (it wasn't like it was some kind of misanthrope), he just preferred not to eat with people around. This could be to in part to so many people's desire to see his face. It was pretty hard to eat in peace with so many people staring at you, waiting for you to pull down your mask.

"Ino, you definitely drank too much," Kakashi heard a familiar voice interrupt his thought.

"Ugh, shut up forehead. Like I really want to hear that now," The blonde kunoichi replied back.

The two kunoichi were sitting on the other side of the half wall, a table behind his. Kakashi was grateful that they were unable to see him. He wasn't really avoiding Sakura, though he did suppose they were going to have to talk at some point and now probably wasn't the best time. He really just wanted to eat in peace. He just sighed quietly and took another sip of water.

"Hey, don't be mean. I let you sleep over last night, didn't I?"

"Oh, you're too kind. Like I haven't let you crash at my place countless times. By the way, after this, we are seriously going to start packing your stuff. Is Naruto going to be around when we move?"

"Yeah. Not that I know if he'd be much help. He gets distracted pretty easy. What about Chouji and Shikamaru?"

"Chouji will help as long as you promise him food. As for Shikamaru, let's be serious here."

"True. I think the last time someone moved and he came to 'help' he just fell asleep in a closet."

"I think that was Tenten. And you have to admit, that closet was huge. We all could've slept in there if we wanted." Kakashi heard Sakura laugh at this.

"I guess she needs a big closet for all those clothes of hers. Well, we could always invite him so he can keep watch at the new place while we bring our stuff there. The closets aren't really big enough for him to fit in."

"True. It's not like he's going to help with the heavy lifting. Not with Chouji and Naruto there, anyways."

"Please, I'm probably going to be doing more heavy lifting than Naruto."

"Well, we can't all have monstrous strength."

Wasn't that the truth. Kakashi still remembered the first time he saw that strength in action. He never thought his pink haired student could invoke that kind of panic in him. The jounin heard the same waitress come take their orders before they resumed conversation.

"So, forehead, when are you going to talk to Kakashi?"

"I don't know. The next time I see him I guess. I still don't know what to say to him though."

"Well, you could say 'Hey I'm sorry for assuming bad things about you and basically saying you were a shitty person, how about to make up for it I offer you my body?'"

Kakashi nearly choked. What was with these younger generation kunoichi and their lack of shame?

"Ino-pig! What's wrong with you?! I swear, you're so gross."

Well, the copy-nin didn't really consider himself gross.

"What? It's not like you have a boyfriend and he's hot."

"You don't have a boyfriend either!"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who yelled at him. Speaking of which, are you ever going to start dating around again? I know you did for a little bit but then you stopped. I don't know if they'd let a ninja become a nun, but it seems like you're heading in that direction."

"Very funny. And I don't know, dating was just weird. When I went out with fellow ninjas, I only seemed to attract ones that either loved to talk about themselves and how great they fought in the war; or ones that were too nervous to really talk to me because I'm the Hokage's apprentice. I don't know if they thought that she would blast through the wall if they said something wrong or what."

Kakashi had a feeling that that wasn't completely outside the realm of possibilites. The Hokage could be pretty protective of her apprentice. Not all those times she trained her until the bubblegum haired kunoichi was half dead from exhaustion, but other times for sure.

"I'm not going to lie Sakura, that doesn't sound like something she wouldn't do. I think she's just too busy with leading the village to be able to."

See? He wasn't the only one who thought so.

"Well, whatever. What about you, though? You date around but you haven't gotten into any relationships."

"Eh, I just don't feel like being tied down right now. I mean dating around is fun, but I prefer civilians anyways, and civilians don't really understand my line of work."

"What about Shikamaru?"

"What_ about_ Shikamaru?"

"Why don't you guys date? I think you guys would be really good together. I mean, you guys lost your virginity to eachother. You didn't talk for a bit after that but you guys are back to normal now. I never understood why you just left it at that."

Oh dear. Kakashi was starting to learn more from this conversation than he wanted to. Why wasn't his food here yet? Did they go out to catch the damn fish?

"Listen, I told you before that was purely for the sake of work. They can't very well have a virgin taking on seduction missions and Shikamaru was the only person I trusted enough help amend that. While we're on the subject of dating teammates, though, why don't you trying going on a date with Kakashi?"

Kakashi really wanted to disappear at this point. He was just so damn hungry.

"Are we really going to have this conversation again?"

"You bet your ass. You have yet to give me a good reason why you won't consider it."

"There are too many good reasons! Firstly, ew." Rude. "Secondly, he's my former instructor and he's known me since I was a kid!"

"Shikamaru's known me since I was a baby and that didn't stop your crazy suggestion."

"You're both the same age! That's completely different. You guys grew up seeing eachother do stupid kid things. He was adult seeing me do stupid kid things."

"You act like he wasn't a kid before. He didn't just skip straight to being an old guy."

Seriously? Old guy? He was not old. These two had no manners.

"Yes, but Kakashi-sensei was very different as a kid than I was. By the age I had graduated the academy and was put on a three person genin team, he was becoming a jounin. He had lost both his parents while I was a brat who was ungrateful for being able to live in a normal, peaceful family. He fought serious battles in a war and I was too concentrated on getting 'Sasuke-kun's' attention that I didn't even take being a ninja seriously. All I had going for me were brains and he's obviously much smarter than me."

"Sakura, you were a kid. We were all like that. I was Sasuke crazy too."

"Yeah, but at least you still did well. You were among the top of our graduating class."

"Well, I can't deny that I was and still am amazing. But, Sakura, I think you're overthinking it. Again, you were a kid. Yeah, you did embrassing things but every kid does. You think Kakashi didn't make embarassing mistakes or do some things that he doesn't look back on with pride? They may be different than your mistakes and maybe even to a more serious degree considering how he grew up, but they still stand. Even Naruto wasn't the best kid when he was growing up, though a lot of it was out of his control. He was loud, obnoxious, did terrible in the academy, and spent most of his time eating ramen and pulling stupid pranks. Now look at him, he's a great ninja who most everyone has acknowledged will someday become Hokage. Even though it's Naruto, I'm sure he's at least thought back a couple times to his behavior as a kid and been embarassed.

More importantly, though, those are things that are in the past. Who cares now? Think of all your team has been through in all these years. You guys went through an invasion, losing a teammate, a war, and countless other things. You all are closer than ever. You're the second best medic in the village- no, probabaly the world- second only to our Hokage. You've done your part in battles and the war, not just as a medic, but also as a shinobi. Do you think either Kakashi or Naruto are thinking about how much a brat you used to be? No, they're thinking of their amazing team mate and how great of a kunoichi she's become."

Wow. Kakashi never thought such deep words of encouragement would ever come from Sakura's old rival. He didn't approve of her trying to get Sakura to go on a date with him, but the rest of it was a pretty good speech. He was going to have to give her a pat on the back.

"Wow, Ino... Those are the nicest things you've ever said to me. That was really nice. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it, forehead."

"Is this really about the Kakashi thing?"

"Not really. I just see you and the way you act and you have so little confidence. Like you just can't forget the past and how you used to be. Honestly, I think that's why you have trouble dating. That, and you seem to attract a fair amount of weirdos."

"Hey."

"I'm not judging. Everyone attracts some number of weirdos. You just attract more than your average girl. But anyways, more than anything, I can't have a rival with so little self-confidence. I don't need people thinking I'm bullying you or something."

"You're ridiculous." Kakashi heard the smile in his former student's voice as she said this.

"In a good way. Anyways forehead-"

"Here's your food, Kakashi-san!" Mayuri called and set his miso soup, rice, and broiled fish down. Why was she being so loud? Isn't there such thing as being too enthusiastic about your job? The copy-nin heard a significant silence on the other side of the wall as Mayuri walked back to the kitchen.

Oh dear.

* * *

Sakura and Ino stared wide eyed at each other. They both glanced in the direction they had heard the waitress but could see nothing but her retreating back. The half wall was too high to see the seating on the other side.

"Do you think it's him?" Ino mouthed to Sakura. Sakura shrugged in response. Ino motioned her eyes towards the booth where the waitress had set the food down, clearly saying "well, check to see".

Sakura sighed at stood up to look over the wall. On the other side she saw an old man eating broiled fish with miso soup and rice. She stared at him a moment longer before sitting back down and shaking her head at Ino. They both sighed in relief.

"Holy crap, that scared me. It's not like he's the only person named Kakashi though, right?" Ino laughed. Sakura gave a weak laugh also but continued to look suspiciously in the direction of the booth.

No, he wasn't the only person named Kakashi, but this was definitely a favorite place of his. Her attention was brought back to the table when the waitress brought them their food. They ate with small conversation in between bites. It was less of a serious conversation now and they just talked about moving and things they still needed to get for their new apartment.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the old man get up from his seat. Sakura looked down at her own plate. It wasn't really close to being finished but if her hunch was right, she wanted to catch up with that old man. She really hated to waste food, but then again she could just have Ino get a box to bring the rest to her.

"Hey, Ino, I just remembered I have to go and pick something up before one. Could you get a box for my food while I run and do that?" Sakura asked. The blonde raised an eyebrow at her.

"Forehead, if this is your way of getting out of packing today, it's not going to work," Ino said as she gave the medic a serious look.

"No! Come on. It'll take no time at all. Just go to my place after you finish eating and I'll meet you there." The blonde still looked unconvinced. "I'll pay for your meal," Sakura offered.

"Oh Sakura, if you insist," The blonde grinned. The medic rolled her eyes but pulled out her wallet to set money down for both meals.

"Alright, it'll be quick. I'll see you back at my place," Sakura said as she stood. The blonde waved her off and went back to eating.

Sakura walked out to the street and glanced around to see the old man's retreating back to her right. She jogged to catch up to him, dodging a few people as she did.

"Hey!" She called when she had almost reached him. The man just kept walking.

Did he really think she would just go away?

"KAKASHI!" Sakura called as she clamped her hand onto his shoulder causing the man to nearly fall over. "I know it's you Kakashi-sensei, you can go ahead and drop the henge."

For a moment the kunoichi didn't think he'd do it and was briefly afraid that maybe she was wrong. As soon as she thought it, though, there was a puff and before her was a familiar spike of silver hair. He turned to look at her.

"Oh, Sakura, fancy meeting you here," The copy-nin gave his one eyed smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, pretty fancy," The kunoichi muttered sarcastically. "I knew that was you in the restaurant. Did you really think I wouldn't be able to see through your henge?"

"Well, no," Kakashi admitted. "But I thought it would at least avoid an awkward situation." Sakura rolled her eyes in response.

"So you heard our conversation?" She asked. His eyebrow creased though he tried to keep up the smile.

"Maybe a little bit."

More than likely he had heard the whole thing. The kunoichi almost wanted to die.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen in. I was really hoping my food would quickly come and I could leave before you guys noticed me. I know it was a private conversation," Kakashi explained. Sakura still had a slight grimace on her face but she held back any of the usual anger that would come to her in a situation like this. Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out.

"It's fine. You didn't mean to. That's not why I followed you anyways," Sakura sighed again. She gave herself a quick shake to pep herself up and looked up at him. "Listen, I'm really sorry Kakashi. About all those things I said to you and doubting your character. That was terrible of me and I know you're a better person than that. I was out of line and I don't blame you for getting mad at me. I should've talked to you right after it happened so I could clear things up rather than avoid you like I did. So, again, I'm sorry."

Admitting you were wrong always sucked, Sakura felt. It was the adult thing to do, for course, but what if that person still didn't forgive you? She looked her former teacher in the eyes as she waited for him to say something. He would forgive her, right? They had certainly been through worse. Though none of those things included anything quite like this. Just when Sakura was starting to think that he may not forgive her, he smiled.

"It's alright. I'm sorry, also. I said a lot of things to you in my anger. I'm sure I made you feel horrible. I guess we both could've sorted through this misunderstanding better," Kakashi gave a small laugh. Sakura smiled in return.

"Yeah, you're right. Don't worry about, either. I'm sure I've done worse in my anger," Sakura admitted.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, don't you have some packing to do?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh! You're right. I gotta meet Ino back at my place." And grab a book or something. She did, after all, tell her that she had to pick something up. "You should come by the new place after we get it set up. We're going to have a big dinner as a sort of house warming and to thank anyone who helped us move."

"Sounds good," The copy-nin responded.

"Great! Well, I better get going. I'm glad we cleared everything up. I'll see you later Kakashi!" Sakura gave a smile and wave, then turned to make her way to a book store.

"Hey, Sakura," Kakashi called before she could get far. She turned to look at him curiously. "Um," He rubbed the back of his neck slightly nervously. "Hey, how about going on a date sometime?"

Huh?

* * *

**A/N: **Bam! Whachu know about me?! I figured I should actually give some insight as to what kind of setting/time this fic is taking place. I was trying to see if I already stated Sakura's age but I did not find it. But I'm also prone to moments of not being able to see what's right in front of me. She's about 19 though. I'll actually sneak that in eventually if I haven't. Their drinking age is probably 20 or whatever, but who's going to tell a ninja no? Riddle me that.

Anyways, I actually finally have a definite direction for this fic. One of the ideas actually completely flipped from a previous one. Yes, perhaps to no ones surprise, I was just writing to write before with only the foggiest of ideas as to what I was going to do. A lot of you guys made me happy when you said you remembered reading this story and then were like "Why" when I disappeared. Or that you had read it and decided to come back only to see that I had updated. I really appreciate it! I followed a couple of reviewers advice for this chapter. I know I'll still have some mistakes which I apologize for. I'm probably going to get Microsoft Office for my new semester though so hopefully that will help.

Also, I was thinking about making a one shot about that earlier line with Ino and Shikamaru. I actually started typing it up any everything. I feel it's worth mentioning for no reason other than I want to share, but Temari/Shikamaru is my least favorite pairing. I have no idea why. I have never cared about any other pairing before. If I like them, I like them and if I don't, whatever. I hear of them pushing it more so in the anime than the manga but for some reason I'm like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO!"

I dunno. It's weird. Anyways! That was your pointless fact about me for this chapter.


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